


The (Entirely Too Long) Ministry Hallway

by pine_appleprin_cess



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Draco Malfoy, Auror Harry Potter, Cheesy Lines, Drarry, Fluff, Inner Dialogue, M/M, drabble that got a little out of hand, hallways, tripping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-01 20:07:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15781182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pine_appleprin_cess/pseuds/pine_appleprin_cess
Summary: Draco and Harry have their own inner speculations about each other, but they're about to be confronted when fate (and a poorly tiled floor) bring them together.





	The (Entirely Too Long) Ministry Hallway

**Author's Note:**

> soooo forgive me if the POV switches are weird and/or confusing. I really tried my best.

Seven years. After seven years of stalking each other around the halls of Hogwarts Draco finally thought the vexatious game of hide and seek or whatever it was was they were playing was over. But stupid Potter ( _Auror_ Potter now) had to land a job in the same department as Draco and work in the same building at the ministry. Therefore they had to take the same route, in and out of work, every single day. That is, unless one of them decided to take the maintenance stairwell which included lots of stairs (obviously) and Draco, not one for cardio early in the morning or late at night (obviously), was personally not about to resort to that. So the impossibly awkward and childish games they played their whole school lives survived to take the form of an awkward and childish charade in their adult lives. Potter had so far been oblivious (as always) to the painfully unpleasant walks down the endlessly long hallway to the Aurors department, which almost made the whole situation worse.  
Stupid hallway, stupid Potter. Both infuriated him and tripped him up. Potter gave these amused smiles whenever he looked over at Draco as he tried to covertly steal glances at him. It’s not like he was staring he was just… keeping close eye. At and how well he filled in his Auror uniform, especially compared to the skinny boy whose ribs were visible through his skin and the healthy looking darker tone of said skin, like he no longer spent his free time in a dark closet. Not that he concerned himself with Potter’s whereabouts (anymore). But every time he was caught looking Potter gave him this look that resembled the way one might look at a fumbling puppy. It infuriated Draco. And made him heated (no, it is not blushing). But that’s completely besides the point. Those looks never failed to throw him out of his mediated state of tolerance.  
As for the hallways interference with his peace of mind, the tiles of said godforsaken corridor were crooked and jutted up in some places (really, it’s not like the ministry couldn't afford to fix them, the stingy bastards) and Draco had, as he preferred to call them, very _delicate_ ankles that tended to embarrass him on uneven surfaces. He had to tread carefully and take the usual flair of his strut (as Pansy loved to call it) down a few notches for fear that tripping in front of Potter would be the actual end of his very miserable existence.  
It’s not like Draco _needed_ to walk flamboyantly, it’s not like he _wanted_ to catch Potter’s attention or anything, he just liked to remain… prominent.  
Honestly, Draco didn't know why he didn't just quit. Or ask to be transferred. Because Potter just might have been the death of him.  
The worst part was that Potter didn't even play along anymore. He didn't respond to Draco’s taunts and jabs in the same entertaining way he used to. Not that the jabs had much bite anymore; but all Potter ever gave Draco was friendly, open looks and the occasional smile. Blundering, sputtering, hotheaded Potter was nowhere to be seen. He’d become someone who seemed confident but not pretentiously so, easygoing and sure, but focused and strong when on mission. It threw Draco off tremendously and he found himself trying to get a rise out of Potter every chance he got. Was it childish? Extremely so. Was it to Draco? Absolutely not. Friendly banter, as he liked to call it. Honestly deep down he realized it was immature and Pansy called it flirting (it’s really not), but what else was he supposed to do with Potter around him, smiling and warm, _all the time?_

—-

Harry found it funny that after so many years or sneaking around the halls of Hogwarts and following him around, he finally had an excuse to watch Draco while he went about his day. Ironic, really. He was pretty sure Draco wasn't too happy with the arrangement, but Harry didn't really mind; he found it amusing to watch Draco’s dramatic strut through the department (it reminded him of those models on the fashion shows he caught glimpses of when Aunt Petunia put them on before his uncle came home from work).  
Really though, it was just nice to see how much he’d changed. To see less of his stuck-up-rich-kid confidence and more of his genuinely-dedicated-to-his-work-and-mostly-humble confidence. Even to see his success; he’d helped Harry out on more than one occasion when he'd been in a rut with some of his tougher cases. He really was good at what he did and it was a nice (though somewhat shocking) switch from the pompous bully, even if he was still a bit of a pretentious git. Harry hadn't expected to find any sort of positive change or normalcy or a work he was happy with after the war, but becoming an Auror had helped him cope. Oddly, seeing Draco in the same setting had helped him put it even further in the past.  
However, Harry’s presence did not seem to have the same effect on Draco. Harry had made his peace with the war, but Draco still seemed to look at Harry as his enemy. Still the Chosen One he was always living in the shadow of. Harry tried making conversation, even tried walking next him in the needlessly long hallway to the Aurors department once (which was just about as awkward as it sounded), but Draco seemed pretty adamant about keeping his distance. And furthermore, every time he even tried to make eye contact, he would turn to find Draco always glaring at him. He tried to just smile and move on but it was perturbing. Harry’s attempts to get within ten feet of him when they weren't working a case together were usually avoided and there was really no helping it.  
Harry had assumed that since they worked in the same department and on the same cases sometimes they’d have to get close at some point, they had even learned to refer to each other on a first name basis (largely due to the ministry’s encouragement of team cooperation and their mostly futile “bonding” exercise attempts, and Draco still only called him Harry begrudgingly and exclusively in formal settings, but whatever) but two years in and out of the same building nearly every day and Draco had so far proved him quite wrong. Really, Harry had taken every chance he could to form some kind of relationship with Draco.  
Ron always made fun of him for trying so hard after Draco when Harry voiced his frustrations, but this was important to him. He didn't really know what had changed his view of Draco, or when it had changed for that matter, but one day he looked at him and he just wasn't a complete and total git anymore; he was another person who had experienced the war and was trying as hard as he could to move on.  
His wit wasn't biting anymore and he was actually quite funny, he was surrounded by people who he had actually made friends with, not just the daughters and sons of another rich family, and he had even started letting his hair hang loose, something Harry quite liked through not sure exactly why.  
He was just so removed from the schoolyard bully persona Harry used to be so familiar with and he found it refreshing. He wouldn't mind being friends with Draco. He was funny and sharp and not terrible to look at.  
In a completely platonic way. Of course.  
Oh, whatever. It’s not like he hadn't acknowledged the fact that was quite attractive these days. Or that he very much wouldn't mind getting to be close to him on a more regular basis. But it was also something Harry didn't have the time or energy to spend reflecting on.  
That all changed one fateful day in the hallway when Harry found himself having to confront those thoughts very suddenly.

—-

 

It was fairly early in the morning and the hallway was empty. By some stroke of luck (whether good or bad depended on the mood Draco was in) he and Potter were both rushing into the building to get some extra work done at the same time and caught the same elevator down. This made for an especially awkward situation as once they left the elevator they were walking closely side by side. Potter seemed to have no problem with this (again, of course) but Draco thought otherwise. No way he was enduring a fifteen minute walk with Potter that close by his side. Draco sped up a hair from their already brisk pace so he could just get out of the damn hallway already, but while he was focused on getting away from Potter he failed to avoid one of the tiles jutting up in front of him.  
Draco’s heel caught on it and he was thrown completely backwards, papers and all, plummeting straight for the cold tile floor. He saw his life flash before his eyes and found himself thinking _‘well if this is the end at least I won’t have to finish that paperwork’_ (ok, maybe he was a _tad_ dramatic).  
Then all of a sudden the world stopped tilting and Draco found himself frozen mid fall. Frozen in a pair of decent sized, and strangely (but comfortably) _warm_ pair of arms.  
Harry’s reflexes had apparently kicked in and without thinking he had caught Draco.  
The next few seconds were a daze but when his vision cleared Draco found himself staring up at the most striking green eyes he'd ever seen and messy black hair that really didn't look so bad and clutching onto an almost Slytherin green coat that suited him quite well.  
He was jerked back to reality when Potter eloquently cleared his throat and Draco suddenly became extremely aware that he was currently being held like he was in the middle of a dip during a tango and that his dance partner was none other than Harry Potter.  
Harry Potter whose face was somewhere between a smile and a smirk. Draco is pretty sure he looked like a completely and utterly helpless schoolgirl whose crush just said hi to her but there was no helping it.

-  
Harry found himself staring down at smooth pale skin and wide, beautiful eyes and wow his hair was really soft- but Harry had just cleared his throat and things were kind of getting awkward and he really didn't want Draco to get up and storm off and he saw his chance right then in that moment and with the adrenaline from catching and holding Draco in his arms he by some great feat gathered his wits and willed his mouth to move.  
“You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes,” he said.  
-  
That snapped Draco right out of it. “I did not _faint_ , Potter! I simply have weak ankles,” he yelled indignantly. Oh yes, very nice Draco, that’ll really convince him.  
But then Potter’s smile just got wider and _fuck_ Draco felt a blush creeping up his cheeks and he realized he was still mid dip but honestly he didn't care anymore, he was just trying to memorize Potter’s face and what it looked like this close up.  
That is, he was, until Potter swung him back up to standing (with remarkable strength; really, when did he get that strong) and then all of a sudden they were standing in the hallway facing each other with Potter’s hands on Draco’s arms and Draco’s hands still clutching his coat. Draco may as well have just melted right then and there.  
“Well, maybe try and be more careful or I’ll have to keep catching you.”  
That’d be fine by Draco.  
A few more seconds went by and Draco had absolutely no witty comeback. Honestly he didn't really care. A few more seconds and Draco feared their moment was coming to and end. But then Potter opened his mouth again:  
“Hey it’s, uh, already been a pretty long morning for me; would you maybe want to… er, go get some coffee? With me,” he blurted quickly after as if to make sure his message hadn't come across as him telling Draco to go get him some coffee.  
And he had been doing so well.  
But then he gave Draco this sheepish smile and it truly was unfair how embarrassing he could be but how little it mattered when he looked like that. Really, it’s a wonder Draco didn't faint.  
“That would be lovely, actually,” he heard himself saying somewhere distant, somewhere beyond the pool of deep green in Potter’s eyes that still had his own captured.  
Slowly but surely the moment faded and it became just the two of them, standing face to face in the middle of the way to their work building.  
Then they were separating (but not too far) and walking down the maybe-not-so-bad-after-all hallway again, but this time _together_. Draco being sure to watch his step, but Harry there happily ready to catch him should he fall.

**Author's Note:**

> so that was my second fic! inspired by the prompt i received on my tumblr. thanks for reading this far. i'd love some comments or constructive criticism, and feel free to hmu wth more prompts on my tumblr.


End file.
